non-generic material selection causes profiles to show "not supported"

[Longtoke 0]

Hi all, first time poster here, long time 3D printer user with an issue.....my OCD is hurting bad. 

 

I recently updated Cura when I built a new PC. Being a fresh install, I didn't back-up any settings etc....which i now instantly regret, though the research I've done indicates this is an issue related to changes with Cura from around V4.4 onward, that having a back-up of my settings wouldn't have solved anyway.

 

My issue ?....using custom materials ( filaments ) or even any of the non-generic listed filaments ( e.g: eSUN filaments ) locks out the default profiles from the print settings selection. I.E: the slider bar for selecting between the default print quality/resolution profiles (0.12-0.16-0.2-0.28)  gets locked out, requiring me to configure everything from scratch. Yes, i can setup custom profiles and use them from the drop down selection box, but the slider selection is greyed out and it displays "not supported"......hence the OCD flare up. 

 

I have tried creating new filament in the materials using the defaults as a template via the "duplicate" function, and still nothing from the slider bar, and it still displays "not supported"

 

Why am I not just using the generic materials ? ..... I use a PLA+ which has slightly higher temp requirements than the generic PLA. Now I am aware I can control the temps etc from the sub-options available under the materials tab of the print settings > custom, which i can then save as a custom profile, but that still doesn't allow it to be selected using the slider. I can't save my alterations to the default profiles either ( though to be expected ...somewhat ) as they are obviously default settings. The problem this presents is one miss click from my kids ( I have 2 teenage sons who seem intent on driving me crazy by changing settings on everything constantly ) and my settings ( more precisely, temps ) get nuked back to default parameters. I thus find myself having to use the slider to select my default print quality, then check and alter my temps to suit the PLA+ im using, followed by a further tweek of other settings factoring in the object i'm printing ( like support parameters ).

 

Admittedly, the version of Cura I was using without issue for a long while was V2.xxx or something, but having never had cause to update it until recently, hence the issue i'm now having. 

 

TL;DR - how can I setup print profiles to suit my PLA+ and 0.4mm nozzle, while still being able to use the quick selector bar to flick between them, also removing the "not supported" message OR is there a way to modify the "generic" filament and print profiles and then save them as the default ( thus bypassing the lack of functionality surrounding custom materials and profiles ).

 

My printers are an Ender 3 ( with updated marlin V2.0 firmware ), a Prussia i3 ( stock ) and soon about to add an Ender CR10S Pro. 

The Filament i'm using is from 3D Fillies - PLA+ ( pretty standard 1.75mm diameter, 1kg roll, approx 333 meters long, density of 1.25g cm3 ).

[ahoeben 982]

"Not supported" means there are no (supported) premade profile for the combination of printer and material. It does not mean you can't print with the combination. Just set the settings you intend to use and proceed as normal.

[Longtoke 0]

On 7/16/2020 at 4:45 PM, ahoeben said:

"Not supported" means there are no (supported) premade profile for the combination of printer and material. It does not mean you can't print with the combination. Just set the settings you intend to use and proceed as normal.

 

yup, I understand that but....

 

That doesn't explain why simply switching from a generic material to say eSun PLA+ ( which is apparently supported as it's in the default material list ) also brings about the removal of the standard default print profiles and quick selection slider. This then requires a completely custom profile to be setup ( going through numerous exhaustive options and settings ) with a persistent "not-supported" message on display and no quick selection slider for profiles being available thereafter. I have tried to make my own profiles and materials, but there is no way to copy across the default profiles and have them retain the same functionality and similarly with material "duplicate" function, the associated profiles disappear bringing about the same problems. 

 

To put it simply - there seems to be missing links between materials and print profiles just because i'm using a non-generic listed material, and there is no way to configure the custom or non-generic but default listed materials with the profiles to ensure the quick select slider and default profiles are still available to use. 

 

Bonus question - when / what changed to make this so convoluted compared to the much earlier version of Cura I was using without issue ?. At this stage I think reverting to the last version before these profile / materials issues came about may well be my easiest fix. 

[Longtoke 0]

an update after having fired up my new cr10s.

 

Looks like no matter the printer profile, selection of non-generic materials causes all the print profiles to "wipe"....doesn't matter if i choose a default listed material ( i.e. - eSun PLA+ ) or make my own material parameters, the end result is "not supported" constantly displayed and the removal of the quick select slider and default print profiles. 

 

While I respect the multitude of printers out there making it impossible for the Cura devs to accommodate EVERY printer out there, this is not a printer profile issue, that's just how the problem manifests itself. While i can understand these issues if you made a custom material profile, surely selecting default listed materials shouldn't cause these issues ?

 

Here's hoping a fix comes in a later version of Cura, in the mean time if someone can clarify which version of Cura brought this awful change into to existence so I can work out which earlier version of Cura I need to grab, that would be awesome 😄

 

Cheers. 

[ahoeben 982]

The creality printer definitions - like the Ultimaker printer definitions by the way - is configured to have different quality profiles per material. If there is an "unknown" material, there are no quality profiles to choose from, and this is what Cura shows. A quality profile is much more than a choice of layer heights.

 

The alternative to having different quality profiles per material in Cura is to have one set of profiles for all materials.

 

If there is no set of quality profiles to choose from, Cura shows you the bare defaults of all settings. You can still adjust these, and the settings you enter will be used.

 

To print with eSun PLA+ with PLA profiles, the simples way is to make a copy of the material and change the material type from PLA+ to PLA.

[Longtoke 0]

21 hours ago, ahoeben said:

........To print with eSun PLA+ with PLA profiles, the simples way is to make a copy of the material and change the material type from PLA+ to PLA.

 

OMFG Thank You !!!!!

 

This work around solved my immediate issues with the print profiles dropping !......but this now raises more questions lol. 

 

I've done as you described but used a "duplicate" of the generic PLA material profile, and this is where it gets really weird. I can now configure the temps for the PLA+ i'm using via the materials, and selection of my "custom" material list doesn't nuke the default profiles nor the quick select slider.

 

The odd thing is, if i relabel either the material type field OR the display name field, it instantly drops the profiles and slider again. So in conclusion, could this be a bug ?? or is their some reason for it still nuking everything. I would have thought the process of setting up and defining a custom material would allow exactly the same functionality I regardless of a token name choice. It's almost like there's some hidden parameters that are tied to the name fields ? 

 

Just seems really bizarre that changing ONLY a name field ( displayed name OR material type name ) is enough to remove functionality. We're talking about the difference of a "+" symbol in a name field altering default functionality. I.E; if i label either as just "PLA", everything works great, the moment I change either field to "PLA+" it nukes everything in the print profiles. If this is intended to function like this, can I ask why/what benefit this brings as I prefer to understand rather than just blindly step forward. 

 

Regardless, I can deal with the displayed name / material type name missing a "+" symbol, as the brand name of the filament is enough for me to quickly recognize my material is set correctly. I will experiment and figure out if i can word this better/understand why it's like this and report back later. 

 

Thanks again 😄

 

p.s. - you've done an old bloke a huge favor in preventing his millennial children screwing with his mind, so double bonus i guess....i don't have to dig through my settings every time and a couple of millennials have been blocked from their usual. 

Edited July 22 by Longtoke
p.s.